High expectations for Oklahoma Christian baseball going into 2022

Oklahoma Christian University baseball will begin their 2022 season on Friday, Feb. 4 in a four-game series against St. Mary’s University.

For the first time in team history, Oklahoma Christian received preseason top 25 votes. They currently rank seventh in the South Central Region and are projected to finish fifth in the Lone Star Conference.  

Outfielder Blake Empkey and first baseman Michael DiFiore were both named to the preseason All-America watch list. Oklahoma Christian also has five players named on the collegiate baseball preseason honor list: returners Blake Empkey, Michael DiFiore and Chance Westervelt along with newcomers Andrew Alonzo and Preston King. 

“We know we have the ability to win this conference,” Empkey said. “We are a confident team that is capable of doing some really good things.” 

DiFiore said that they team is okay with the high expectations knowing that they can do something special this season.

“Expectations are high this season and we really feel like we can do something special,” DiFiore said. “We have a lot of talent returning from last season and have added pieces that are going to get us to the next level.”

The Eagles are returning the nine players who were consistently in last season’s starting lineup, including Chance Westervelt, who hit  a conference leading .440 average last season and placed sixth in Division II. The team has also added pitchers to the roster, including Andrew Alonzo and Isaiah Alvarenga, who are primed to elevate the pitching staff.

“Transferring from junior college, I just want to come in and make an impact right away,” Alonzo said. “I’m excited to get out there and do what I can to contribute to some wins.”

Last season, the Eagles ranked in the bottom half of the conference in pitching and defensive stats. Infielder Elijah Woods said changes to the defense will allow the team to take the conference by storm.

“We have added new guys and have really put a focus on defense throughout the fall,” Woods said. “We know we are going to hit and put up runs. It’s just a matter of being sound defensively that’s going to lead to a lot of wins.”

Oklahoma Christian finished fifth in the Lone Star Conference in 2021 with a 21-12 record, as they lost the opening round of the conference tournament,ending their season. Hitting carried the team throughout the 2021 season; the Eagles ranked second in the conference in home runs with 70 and fourth in batting average hitting .309 as a team. Every player who hit a home run last season returned for 2022, including DiFiore, who led the team with 19 home runs. 

“Last season gave us a lot to build upon, showing us what we needed to do as a team to get to the next level,” Empkey said. “We are confident we are better than last season and we will show it.”

Woods said the combination of new players and returners getting better is really pushing this team to the next level.

“Returners not only got better but we added some guys that are really going to make a difference,” Woods said. 

Woods said confidence inside the locker room is high and the overall mindset is that this team has the ability to beat anyone in the country. Woods said there is not a lot of talk about the preseason rankings and projections, but he does feel  they are going to blow them out of the water.

“If we live up to our full potential then we’re going to take everybody in the country by surprise,” Woods said. “We won’t be (surprised), but everyone else will.”